An amendment introduced by Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) will block the FCC’s plan to allow cities to set up their own broadband connections, competing with Comcast and other monopoly/duopolies.
Blackburn, who received $10K from NCTA, $12.5K from Verizon, $10K from AT&T, $7.5K from Comcast and $7K from Time Warner cable (this year), introduced the amendment to HR 5016 (the Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Act), under the guise of protecting states from federal interference.
The bill goes to a vote today, and your lawmakers need to hear from you right away. As it stands, many states limit or prohibit the ability of cities to offer services that compete with telcoms monopolies/duopolies. In many cases, towns where there is no broadband service are prohibited from rolling out their own.
The FCC has promised to intervene in these rules, giving cities the power to set up broadband networks. Blackburn believes that this should not be allowed.
The Electronic Frontier Foundation’s Dear FCC site has an action center item that lets you call your congresscritter correct. Act now, before it’s too late!
Act Immediately to Stop Congress’s Sneaky Move to Shut Down Broadband Competition
[April Glaser]